According to Decrypt, Bethesda, the developer of the popular sci-fi role-playing game Starfield, has started responding to negative feedback on PC gaming marketplace Steam. Despite having over a million concurrent players at launch and reportedly attracting 11 million players within its first two months, the game has received mixed reviews. Some players have criticized the game for being 'boring, empty, and soulless,' with unpopulated locations and unresponsive non-playable characters (NPCs).
In response to these criticisms, a Bethesda representative stated that the intention of Starfield's exploration is to evoke a feeling of smallness in players and make them feel overwhelmed. The developer argued that empty planets are not boring, as they are meant to be empty by design. Regarding issues with NPCs, the spokesperson said that they are not fully scripted, and artificial intelligence (AI) has been used to create elements of the game. Bethesda encouraged players to keep playing the game and try creating different characters to shake things up. However, some players believe that there is a limit to the number of hours one can spend on a single-player game before feeling the need to move on to a new one.